Transplant two Nandinas' or not?

DaveKearley

Noob alert

I have a very large planter in the garden and filled it last year, it looks great but i didn't allow enough room for plant growth so its now very overcrowded.

I have a Cortaderia which is growing like nothing i have seen before and is now covering two Nandinas which are in corners.

I was wondering if i could get away with pulling those Nandinas out and moving them to tubs at this time of year or should i leave it and wait?

Thanks

Obelixx

You could risk it on condition that you water the pot thoroughly so the whole of the compost and roots are soaked.  Transfer the two nandinas to new pots with good, loam based compost with some MPC mixed in for water retention and then water well again.

Keep them out of full sun while they recover and keep them watered.

Top up the gaps they leave round the cortaderia with a similar mix of compost and water well.   

DaveKearley

Great, thats sounds ok, what's MPC please?

AnniD

As @Obelixx says, you can do it now, especially now the temperatures have dropped. I dug one out of a flower bed a few weeks ago where it was bone dry, and potted it up. Plenty of water is the key, it's looking considerably happier now.

Obelixx

Multi Purpose Compost - fibrous

DaveKearley

Ok, thanks for that

JennyJ

Don't "pull them out" though. Get a spade or trowel underneath (depending on the size) and try to lift a block of soil/compost around the roots so the roots are disturbed as little as possible. For myself I would risk disturbing the Cordateria roots to give the Nandinas the best chance.

DaveKearley

Yes I would do that, cut a cube with the spade and attempt to lift in one go/lump, then straight into the tub.